"Ha! This really brings back memories! Are the stone giants in these mountains still around?" Thorin walked at the front with Orcrist over his shoulder, his eyes full of nostalgia and memories. It was here that they had endured countless dangers. Thinking back on that thrilling escape still made it feel as vivid as yesterday.
"It's a pity Master Baggins isn't with us!" Thorin shrugged at Dwalin, who was traveling alongside him.
"Does our destination include The Shire, Lord Roland?" Dwalin called out to Roland at the front of the procession, his booming dwarven voice echoing through the valley.
"What is it?" Roland turned his horse around and rode back. Thanks to the Junlin Family's management, the once-rugged mountain path had been repaired into a gravel road wide enough for two carriages to travel side by side, allowing Roland to turn around easily on horseback.
"We miss Master Baggins!" Dwalin shrugged. After being apart for so many years, he truly missed that lively Flying Thief.
"We will, if we get the chance!" Roland gave Thorin and the others a meaningful look. Since the gears of history had changed, Thorin's bloodline had not ended at Erebor this time. Their fate was far better than in the original story. The fact that they remembered to visit Bilbo Baggins showed that they still had some conscience. After all, in history, only Balin, that wise old dwarf, had ever gone back to visit Bilbo.
"Fine. If it inconveniences everyone, we won't insist!" Thorin nodded. He was actually a good king—he knew what mattered, and he was loyal and righteous. Aside from the period when he had been corrupted and controlled by Smaug's curse, Thorin's personal charisma was practically flawless.
"Oh, right. The stone giants have already left, so you don't need to worry about